In recent years, Huai'an has been closely focusing on the development strategy of building a "Water City" with ecological culture and tourism resources and making solid progress in the construction of water parks. 

It is known that Huai'an has varieties of water conservancy facilities as well as celebrities and events in water control. The planning of Huai'an water parks has been included into the 13th Five-Year Plan for Huai'an Water Conservancy to provide guidance for the qualified water projects at the early stage of their construction. In 2017, Huai'an Municipal Party Committee and Government launched The Plan of Building a Water City with Ecological Culture & Tourism Resources which relies on the rich cultural heritage of Huai River and the Grand Canal highlights the combination of water conservancy construction and tourism, and focuses on building a number of scenic spots featured with "Water Conservancy Plus Tourism".

Adhering to the ecological and cultural concepts, when building a project, Huai'an has always strived to showcase its beautiful elements as well as traditional cultures. To be specific, the landmark buildings at the starting point of Hongze Lake's Levee exactly display the charms of the city's water culture. Besides, centering on the national strategy of Huai River Ecological Economic Belt, the cultural connotation of Huai River, Ancient Yellow River and the Grand Canal has been further explored with a nearly 600-million-yuan investment in the comprehensive treatment of the Ancient Yellow River and a new construction mode of the ecological civilization along the Canal. In addition, Baima Lake, Hongze Lake and other ecological and cultural parks have speeded up their construction. Xuyi County has clearly set up its development plan by making it green with mountains and rivers. Tianquan Lake Park and Tieshan Temple National Forest Park complement each other which provide perfect places for ecological sightseeing, astronomical science popularization, leisure and vacation.